The Solid Wood Kitchen Cabinets team understand how many considerations there are when it comes to updating or replacing your kitchen. Our information guides are designed to offer quick and easy insight into all things related to solid wood, kitchens and cabinetry, plus other information that may interest and inspire you!

So, if you're thinking about making a purchase, or are just interested in learning a little more about the wonderful world of solid timber kitchens, please feel free to explore our extensive library.

If you would like to view all the information guides in a particular category, please use the following links:

A compendium of articles to help you choose accessories and appliances to suit your solid wood kitchen. Includes popular guides such as 'Buying Small Appliances for Oak Kitchens' and 'Buying Cooker Hobs for Solid Oak Kitchens'.

In the ‘Cabinetry’ category you will find guidance on anything and everything to do with kitchen cabinets; these articles will contain product knowledge, history, information on specific timbers and cabinet construction. This section will be updated regularly so do keep an eye out for new guides.

These questions were sent in directly by our customers, and have been answered with assistance from our in-house kitchen experts. We will be posting a new question every week, so do check back for the answers to further popular queries.

Handy hints about our services, product ranges, and much more. Our 'General' guides cover a wide range of topics, from a 'Pre-Drilling Service' article to a helpful run-down of the online ordering process entitled 'How to Order Solid Wood Kitchens'.

A selection of guides that will prove both inspirational and informative when planning your kitchen. Features useful articles such as 'How to Create a Shaker Kitchen' and 'How to Create a Farmhouse Kitchen with Solid Oak Kitchen Cabinets'.

For a full list of the Solid Wood Kitchen Cabinets information guides, please click here.

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Recent Information Guides from Solid Wood Kitchen Cabinets

If you are already the proud owner of one of our solid oak kitchens, and are now looking for suitably unique kitchen gadgets that are both stylish and truly useful, we have brought together a selection of our favourites that are the perfect complement for a culinary whiz.

The Picnic Time Herb Chop Block Set

Simple wooden chopping boards are the staple of a wooden kitchen. After all, they’re durable, match the worktops and you can certainly never have enough solid wood.

This rubberwood chopping board from Picnic Time is specifically designed for chopping herbs, and comes with its own double chopping blade that stores away neatly in the front of the board. A concave cutting surface means it is perfectly paired to the angle of the chopping blades for precise cutting.

KitchenArt PRO Adjustable Measuring Spoons

You may think there may be absolutely nothing wrong with a set of spoons – that is until you cast your eyes over the Adjustable Measuring Spoons from KitchenArt’s PRO range.

The set includes 3 different spoons / scoops that measure anywhere from ½ of a teaspoon up to a ½ cup size. They each have easily adjustable portion control and have well rounded sides to avoid spillages.

Musuntas Scrap Trap Storage Box

The precarious trip from worktop to bin can be fraught with danger. Avoid unnecessary mess with this ingenious little invention from Musuntas. The Scrap Trap is a handy little storage box for holding food scraps, peelings and other small items of waste until you’ve finished cooking.

It simply hooks onto the top of one of your cabinet doors, and includes a handy little scraper to scoop, transfer or clean crumbs and other food debris without getting your hands dirty.

Simplehuman Steel Frame Dishrack

The Steel Frame Dishrack from Simplehuman matches a modern kitchen aesthetic and has been well thought out to include glass racks, a knife rack and cutlery storage. It’s also covered in a hydrophilic coating to repel water and residue, and was designed so that the water drains out of a single spout rather than directly onto the worktop underneath.

There are many reasons why the kitchen is often referred to as the heart of the home: no longer is it where the cook locks themselves away to toil over a hot stove; kitchens are where you and your family gather to cook, eat and socialise.

In many homes, kitchens have evolved to become an all-purpose area that includes a dining area, entertainment areas, workspace and even fireplaces. Kitchens are now designed to be a practical, welcoming and fun place, and often the rest of a home revolves around its innovative and modern design aspects.

The perfect modern kitchen has had plenty of thought put in to it about what activities will take place in the room – from cooking and cleaning to snacking and socialising. Above all, though, a contemporary kitchen must be both comfortable and a pleasure to work in and around.

What Makes a Modern Kitchen?

Whilst ‘Shaker-style’ and country kitchens have a timeless quality, for some there is only one type of kitchen to consider: one that is full of modern flair. Whilst you may think that classic kitchen designs are more in-keeping with wood cabinets and solid wooden worktops, some of the most beautiful modern kitchens infuse these natural materials with striking design to create a theme that will feel modern now, and for many years to come.

The style and layout of your kitchen is very much dictated by your personality, as well as limitations in the size and shape of your home. A kitchen should reflect your tastes – whether that’s minimal beauty, or whether you have a fondness for nostalgic trinkets. A modern kitchen, however, should never feel overly cluttered so as to retain clean lines.

Layout is key in a modern kitchen. Where possible, there should be plenty of open space; whilst a kitchen island will add the perfect preparation area that can double-up for socialising and entertaining.

Consider appliance location carefully, and where possible consider cabinet frontals to hide built-in appliances such as fridges and freezers. Other appliances – such as modern cookers and hobs – should be chosen to complement the kitchen’s theme. Most new ‘white’ goods are available in a range of finishes, including stainless steel, glossy black and many more.

Glass

Bring extra light into your kitchen by making sure that where possible, you’ve got plenty of large windows, or even doors that can open straight on to a garden or patio area. Light can do wonders for a small kitchen, but if you can’t make drastic changes to the windows or other apertures in your kitchen, then consider using glass to reflect light around the room.

Frosted glass can also provide an unobtrusive divider between the kitchen and an adjoining lounge or dining area, without obstructing light and totally dividing the two spaces.

Metal

Chrome appliances and swathes of metal are often found in modern kitchens, but be careful not to over-do it. Too much metal can make a kitchen feel cold and industrial, rather than welcoming and homely.

The right hints of metal however, will cement an up-to-date theme. Stainless steel splashbacks for kitchens look fantastic alongside wooden worktops without being domineering, and equally appliances with a metallic finish break up oak kitchens, whilst complementing natural materials.

As well as stainless steel splashbacks, we also offer stainless steel plinths, which can create a fantastic two-tone effect alongside beautiful solid wood cabinets.

Wood

You might associate wood with a more traditional kitchen aesthetic, however some of the most beautiful modern kitchens feature wooden worktops, solid wood cabinetry and plenty more natural timber elements.

It all comes down to picking the right type of timber to suit your other design decisions. Modern kitchens are complemented by both light and bright woods such as oak worktops, ash or maple, whilst our bamboo worktops are perhaps the ideal modern kitchen choice as they’re a fantastic mix of a unique look and eco-friendly material.

Equally, dark worktops such as our black American walnut and iroko worktops look fantastic in darker kitchen themes, and stand out as a true centre-piece for high-contrast contemporary kitchens.

Other finishing touches

If you’ve got the space (and money), then wine coolers, cooling drawers, steamers, deep fat fryers and many more appliances can be built straight in to the surfaces and kitchen cabinetry without being unsightly.

A modern kitchen deserves beautiful flooring, and dictates that it be comfortable underfoot, watertight, hard-wearing and easy to clean. Consider solid wood, stone, ceramic tiles or even polished concrete.

There’s little point investing money in beautiful worktops and fancy appliances if you don’t have the lighting to work safely in your kitchen. Lighting is also key for setting the mood, so take careful consideration as to which type of lighting will suit your layout perfectly. Pendant lamps have become very popular, as have LED-strip lighting underneath wall-mounted cabinets.

If you’re looking for further inspiration for a modern kitchen, why not take a trip to one of our showrooms? We’re situated conveniently for the South East and South West of England, with showrooms in both Gloucestershire or Essex. We have a variety of kitchen themes on display, complete with modern appliances and fixtures. The showrooms are open through the week and on Saturdays, but please check the individual showroom pages for specific days and times.